Sparks
by IridescentFlight
Summary: [Larxel] You can't fight what's in your heart if you don't have one. When Axel and Larxene collide, sparks fly and the metaphorical chase begins, because who said you couldn't hate someone and love them too?
1. Sparked

A/N: This was written last weekend as part of a fic challenge me and my friends thought up for ourselves. Pretty random. The guidelines were that it had to be a KH romance one-shot. So I chose my favourite couple to work with. -

Warnings: Axel/Larxene, don't like it, then why are you here in the first place? It isn't very _romantic_, but whatever. Plenty of banter. I love banter. I hope you do too. Banter is good for the fanfiction soul.

Enjoy!

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**_Click._**

The soft, yet sharp sound broke the near-perfect silence of Castle Oblivion's library, followed by the unmistakable whir of a certain fire wheel. Larxene tensed in her chair, her previously calm face hardening. She would _not_ look around ... she would _not_...

**_Click._**

She resolutely turned the page of the thick volume held in her hands, forcing her electric-blue eyes to read the print on the vellum page. Maybe if she ignored it, it would go away...

**_Click._**

"Well well well ... what do we have here?"

Larxene straightened up and slammed the book shut, slowly turning around to face her fellow Organization member with a clenched jaw. Axel grinned easily down at her from the landing, one un-ignited fire wheel twirling in his hand. Larxene found the accompanying click and whir incredibly annoying; a word that basically summed-up the crimson-haired man.

"Why are you here?" she snapped, locking her icy stare with Axel's green-eyed gaze. He merely shrugged smoothly in response, letting his fire wheel disappear back to the oblivion he had summoned it from- just to tick her off, she would bet -and continued down the spiral stairs.

"Just gets boring, sitting around and waiting for the kid to show," he answered, flopping down into the opposite chair and resting his hands behind his head. The cold blonde averted her eyes and instead glanced around at the bookshelves.

"What, finally getting bored of the witch?" Larxene spat, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. Axel's irritating grin seemed to wilt a bit, like one of Marluxia's dying flowers.

"What are you talking about?"-  
"_You_ know. You're always hanging around that girl- Namine, is it? What are you, some kind of pedophile?"

Axel's face hardened, almost as completely as Larxene's had done moments ago. His green eyes narrowed sharply, and a malicious glint lit up the blonde's eyes, pleased to watch him squirm. Abruptly, he leaned forward and roughly tapped the book still in her hands.

"And while I'm off on my 'pedophilia', as you call it, you're here lost in sadistic literature. _Marquis de Sade?" _he arched a rust-red eyebrow suggestively. "And you harp on my proximity to Namine. I have my own readings to quote on that: _'These are the forgeries of jealousy.'_"

Now it was Axel's turn to smirk as an angry flush blossomed in Larxene's cheeks. Snapping her book onto the table in front of them, she stood up and summoned her thunder kunai to her hands, like wicked claws ready to violently rip the satisfied grin off of his face.

"Idiot! You are a fool and a presumptuous jerk a thousand times over, if you flatter yourself enough to mistake my contemptuous disgust for _jealousy!_" she flexed her fingers, her kunai retracting and slicing forward again like the claws of a lioness. And a matching sneer lifted her lip back from her teeth, reminiscent of any predator; the show of teeth was a feral wearning, not a sign of pleasure. In response, Axel too, stood up and stepped closer. For all of Larxene's height, he was still a few inches taller, and he stared down at her with all the condescending rage his stature offered. Yet she merely lifted her willful chin higher and moved her sneer to her eyes.

"And you're delusional as well, if you think I'll be intimidated by a man with a better figure than I!" she scoffed, fully delighted now. She raised one hand up so that it was level with her face, tapping her chin once, a mocking smile twisting her features. "If I were to rip through your coat, would there be a corset underneath?" she laughed now, cruelly and arrogantly. Axel's features twitched but he regained his composure fairly quickly.

"I don't see you complaining though," he said in response. "But as only the eleventh member, you must feel honored that I've stooped down to your level."

"Contrary to your tunnel-visioned belief, you're hardly an exalted member, Axel."

"Oh, I'm not?" he teased

"No, you're a fag with wannabe hedgehog hair."

Scowling again, Axel flicked on of the stray strands of Larxene's lightening-yellow hair in a derisive movement.

"And what is this, oh-endlessly Apathetic Princess?" he mocked, using the title she had been given in Castle Oblivion, "_you_ give the appearence of a wannabe Shadow."

"At least I'm not a gender-confused pincushin! Take off the make-up and go home, Axel. You'll only be an embarrassment to the Organization when the Keyblade Master arrives." she tossed back her violated hair angrily. "And you thought you could impress me by quoting Shakespeare! Jealousy indeed. While Titania and Oberon were a married couple, you are merely an annoying red thorn in my side."

To Larxene's fury, her rant only seemed to bring the smirk back to her antagonist's face.

"Well, now I know what to do."

"W_hat!_" she shouted, finally snapping. She reared to strike him with her kunai, but in the next moment, Axel had reached out and grabbed her arms just above the elbows in a tight grip. Letting out a growl of frustration, Larxene struggled, but his fingers were like iron bands.

"LET ME GO!" she shouted, her thunder kunai just a few inches too far away to stab him.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I'll cut off the extra appendages that you won't need to fight the Keyblade Master with."

"Among other things, that sounds like a good incentive for me to not let go," the crimson-haired Organization member drawled in response.

Larxene twisted violently, but all in vain. "And _what,_" she said in a dangerous tone, "are those 'other things'?"

Axel didn't answer, but leaned down and pressed his lips to her's in harsh abandon. The kunai slipped from her stunned fingers, raining down on the carpet beneath their feet. In her shock, Larxene could barely do more than respond and comprehend the moment when all her morals went up in smoke.

Sparks of both heat and electricity danced around them as they pulled away. It was a long time before either one spoke again.

"I hate you, you know that?" Larxene said warily.

Axel grinned. "It's a start."

* * *

There you go, the end of my one-shot. I hope you liked it. Pretty weird, wasn't it? XD Romance takes a back-seat to hate. Muahahaha.


	2. Let the games begin

Disclaimer: If I owned KH, Larxene would have lived and gotten in a closet with Axel, Jesse McCartney would not go near the sound studio, and Sora would not wear short shorts. SO I OBVIOUSLY DON'T OWN IT.

Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers who wanted more! You guys motivated me to continue this, so here it goes. Another chap of the love/hate we all enjoy. :o)

Larxene paced the white floors of Castle Oblivion, her footsteps echoing around the empty level. She would have rather been back in the library, but she didn't want to have the chance of Axel coming in again. Except for meetings with the others, they hadn't spoken to each other for the better part pf six days. But the way his eyes lingered on her when they did meet deeply unsettled her, his smirk dancing along with the memory of his kiss last week.

His kiss-

_Theirs._

She had kissed him back, and let him go. _Why?_

The intensity of her emotions almost scared Larxene. The rest of the Organization called her apathetic, and for good reason. To her, feelings had been abstract, things experienced along with the rest of the world instead of coming from herself. She had never let her emotions take the wheel.

Now that they were in control, she was unsure of what to do. And she hated that worst of all.

Larxene stopped her movements and sighed, lacing her fingers through strands of bright blonde hair as she laid her palms against her brow.

No, she wasn't going to let this happen. She was confused; that was all. Axel was a manipulator. He was just toying with her mind...

But that scared her too.

"Damn it," she cursed between clenched teeth, glaring down at the blank stone, which glared back with white vividness.

"You holdin' a staring contest with the floor, Ant?"

Ant. Only one person called her _Ant..._

The eleventh Organization member whipped her head up as a familiar red-haired Nobody stepped out of a Dark portal before her, black tendrils slipping off of the crimson fire of his hair. Seeing the look of disgust on Larxene's face, he raised his ochre eyebrows in amusement that was short of open and mischievous glee. Not trusting herself with words, she instead started to step back, eyes warily calculating. Catching up to her, Axel grabbed her arm and stopped her progress.

"Shaken to see me? I'm so flattered."

"I'm not in the mood for any of your games, Axel!" Larxene snapped, wrenching away and releasing her arm from his grip. She turned resolutely in the other direction, crossing her arms over herself and casting her gaze away from the black and red figure that haunted the corners of her vision. Her colleague grinned and walked up behind her.

"That's what you think last week was? A game?"Axel's lips curved into a slow grin, and he bent his head forward to speak softly into her ear, his fingers trailing suggestively up her arms. "So you _were_ having fun, huh?"

Furious, Larxene pulled herself away from his hands and the bright red spikes of hair that had brushed against her neck. She whirled around to face her tormentor, body tense and on guard.

"That meant _nothing_, Axel. Nothing! Forget it and leave me alone!"

In response, the green-eyed Organization member cut the distance between them and reached out to Larxene again. Quick as lightening, her thunder kunai flashed between her fingers and she drew her fists up to slash at Axel's unprotected face. But he leaned back and dodged her blow, bursts of flame blossoming from his palms as his fire chakrams appeared in his hands. He crossed his arms in front of his eyes and parried her attacks with his wheels, the bright yellow daggers becoming trapped in the intricate spokes. Extending his arms once more, Axel jerked his wrists and jarred the kunai from the chakrams' grasp, throwing them to the far walls. Larxene growled and raised her hands together, several bolts of lightening forming above them and raining down upon Axel. He sidestepped one and formed a barrier of flame over his head, heat and electricity canceling each other out. Before his colleague could strike again, he dismissed his fire wheels and took hold of her arms again, pulling her closer so that their hands were clasped between them. He leaned down so that his face was aligned with her own, far too close for his yellow-haired companion's liking. Larxene closed her eyes but did not pull away, all too aware that her resolve was slipping and hating herself for it.

"I won't give up until I've won," Axel whispered, words forming against her skin as his lips grazed her cheek. Yes, he was close, far too close, in meanings that went deeper than the way he brought their mouths together for a brief kiss. With that, he released her hands as tendrils of Darkness swept up from the ebony pool he had summoned beneath his feet. The last thing she saw of him was his easy, triumphant half-grin before he teleported away.

"Immature, manipulating bastard," Larxene muttered, two of her now-free fingers immediately going up to rest against her cheek, trying to tangibly perceive the sensation of tingling heat that Axel's fiery hands had left behind. Starting herself out of her reverie, she held out her palm and let her fallen kunai materialize in it once more, turning on heel and exiting the hall.

Larxene knew but would never admit that she had lost this round.


	3. Round Two, but who's playing?

To ALL my reviewers: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! You guys are AWESOME. I'm so sorry this took so long, but I hope it was worth the wait! The next chap will even have some -gasp- fluffy romance in it!

Thanks especially to **The Light's Refrain** for suggesting "Kiss the Girl" to me. XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or the soundtrack to Atlantica. I do, however, own a twisted mind that concocts new and twisted ways to bring those two together.

Chapter III: Round Two, But Who's Playing?

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"Oh, Lux-ord! Guess what?"

A black-gloved hand paused halfway through its journey to the playing card on the white table before it; irritated, the Gambler of Fate looked up from his game of solitaire to acknowledge Demyx's eager, jubilant grin as it bounded into sight. At the moment, the water-wielder strongly reminded the older Nobody of a wound-up jack-in-the-box that was just waiting for someone to open the lid. Apparently, the said jack-in-the-box had chosen Luxord to be his hapless victim.

"If I ask 'what'," he drawled in response, "will that be enough to make you shut up after you're done?"

"Naw, probably not," the younger Nobody answered easily, flopping down into the chair opposite of his bearded companion.

"Then I suppose there's no incentive for me to ask, is there?" Luxord said pleasantly, shuffling his cards, which were currently resized for recreational use. At his decision, the water-wielder took on a crestfallen expression.

"Aw, c'mon Luxord, I bet ya really wanna know."

The word "bet"caught the attention of the platinum-haired Nobody.

"Demyx, if you ever want to get into gambling, you'll soon find that it's not as fun if you already know the outcome. So don't _bet_ that I wish to know any sort of trivial information you have to tell me."

Scowling, Demyx muttered, "Maybe once you get that stick removed from your–"

His statement was cut off abruptly as Luxord snapped his cards, shuffling them loudly enough to startle the Melodious Nocturne out of his glower.

"Alright, I give in: _what?_"

Like the old saw, Demyx brightened at the drop of a hat.

"I saw Axel and Larxene kissing!"

The blonde-haired Nobody's grin widened considerably at the effect this had on his companion; Luxord glanced up sharply, a mixture of disgust and bewilderment on his bearded face, cards forgotten.

"They were _what?_"

"Kissing!" Demyx exclaimed gleefully, jumping up as he cackled wildly, pent-up emotions finally let loose now that he had accomplished in startling the older Nobody. "Axel and Larxe-e-ene, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Luxord had by now, however, regained his composure after that momentary lapse. He proceeded to lay his cards on the table quite calmly, while Demyx continued to dance about.

"Ah ha, this is great! Wait 'til I tell the others--"

"I wouldn't hold your breath if I were you," the Gambler of Fate interrupted, "if it happened once, it won't happen again, I'm sure. Larxene isn't exactly the type."

Demyx stopped and leaned against the wall, posture slumped as he, once again, showed his mercurial disposition.

"Stop burstin' my bubble, Lux. I was having fun," he whined.

Luxord snorted at the pun but chose to ignore the nickname. Placing one card on top of another with practiced patience, he responded without looking up:

"A good gambler always has to have his facts straight. And trust me on this; whatever is between those two, it's nothing to dance over."

Suddenly looking thoughtful, Demyx straightened up and sauntered over to his vacant chair, laying his hands on the table in a business-like manner. Sighing in resignation, Luxord put down his cards and leaned back.

"Yes?"

"What are you willing to bet that what Larxene and Axel had was just a one-time thing?"

Seeming eager for the first time since the conversation began, Luxord stroked his beard thoughtfully, a gleam in his eye.

"An worthy inquiry. Is that a challenge?"

"Yep!"

"Alright then. If Axel and Larxene don't kiss again..." the platinum-haired Nobody paused, considering. "By the end of the day, then I win the bet, and you must refrain from any and all musical activities for a week. I you win..."

"Then you have to give up any card games for a week!" Demyx proclaimed triumphantly.

"You're on." Luxord outstretched his hand, which the younger Nobody promptly grasped. They shook and the latter departed, cheerfully humming something that sounded suspiciously like "Under the Sea".

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"Demyx, are you SURE you're not lost?" Axel queried.

"'Course I am! It's not like Castle Oblivion's so very big, really..."

"I don't get why Vexen suddenly wants to hold a meeting down here ... we've never had one below the tenth level before..."

"What did you say he wanted to talk about, Demyx?" Larxene asked suspiciously, electric blue eyes narrowed as the water-wielder led his two unwitting companions down a dim hallway.

"Oh, uh..." Demyx was not good under pressure, and Larxene's scrutiny was far from the easiest to handle. He reminded himself what it would be like to be banned from his sitar for a week and swallowed determinedly. "Something about his replication experiment, I think. I wasn't really payin' attention..."

The other two Nobodies subsided- this was something they could believe. And so, each walking a careful distance from each other, they followed the Melodious Nocturne until he stopped in front of a large, steel-plated door.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure this is the staircase he was talkin' about..." He wrenched the heavy door open and motioned for his colleagues to walk through. Inside, it was pitch black and too opaque to make anything out. They cautiously proceeded through, Larxene with her arms crossed coolly over her chest.

"Why is it so dark? Axel, be a good firefly and give us some light."

"Hilarious, Ant."

Before either could begin their banter anew, Demyx, who had stayed behind, slammed the door shut with a sudden bang. Startled, Axel and Larxene whipped around just a few moments too late. They were completely submerged in darkness. The red-haired Nobody raised one arm and conjured a blazing flame to it, using his hand as a torch to reveal that they were in a small closet.

"There aren't any stairs! He set us up! DEMYX!"

Only wild peals of laughter responded, followed by thundering footsteps that indicated the water-wielder was dancing triumphantly.

Summoning her kunai in an instant, Larxene furiously flung them at the door, but to no effect; her weapons were able to do no more than dent the thick metal. Likewise, Axel's chakrams had the same amount of success. The yellow-haired Nobody sat down on a closed box by the wall, cradling her head in her hands with a groan.

Teeth clenched, the green-eyed Organization member let his fire wheels disappear and banged his fists against the door, a muted sound to his deceiver on the other side.

"DEMYX! IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR, I'LL USE MY CHAKRAMS TO GIVE YOU A NEW HAIRCUT!"

Demyx paid no heed to the threat- though one hand did go protectively to the back of his spiked-up head for a moment -and simply sat down, leaning against the door. His tall blue sitar appeared in his hands, and he strummed it experimentally before finding the right tune.

_"...There you see her, sittin' across the way, she don't got a lot to say, but there's something about her-er..."_

Larxene whipped her head up, the soft tint on her cheeks deepening. "I knew it was a bad idea to send him to Atlantica..."

_"..And you don't know why, but you're dyin' to try, you wanna kiss the girl..."_

By now, both captives had realized the motive behind Demyx's prank.

"Uh-oh..."

"He _saw!"_

Conjuring several orbs of flame to light the closed-in area, Axel gave up his attempts and sat down on a box across from Larxene.

_"Yes, you want her, look at her, you know you do,_ _it's possible she wants you, too..."_

"Sorry Ant."

"For what? This isn't _your_ fault," she snapped.

"No, for this."

With that, the fires began to die out; soon they would be thrown into complete darkness again.

"I can't keep it up for long. I'll waste my energy."

"Whatever. I'm not afraid of the dark."

_"There is one way to ask her, it don't take a word, yeah, not a single word, go on and, kiss the girl..."_

"What _are_ you afraid of?"

The blazes burnt out.


	4. Round Three: time out

A/N: I LOVE YOU ALL! Well, maybe that's a little much, but still! I've never had a fic so popular before; I'm glad so many people like it. This chapter contains the long-awaited romance, which I had a lot of fun writing.

And here's where I will shamelessly advertise other people's Kingdom Hearts fics!

Hollow Hearts: written by Thelonepickle, an excellent fic with my favourite OC in it. It follows the storyline very well while still being AU. Read it! You ALL owe her big time, because it's Pickle's fault that I wrote Sparks in the first place. _She_ gave me the one-shot challenge. So go pay her back by reading it. D

As Lovers Go: written by Scheherazade of Shammar. She's recently (as recently as yesterday) revised it and it ROCKS. OC-centered and also AU, I love it so.

All That Remains: written by Fragile X, who not only reviews Sparks on here but also on KHI as well. Once again, an OC-centered fic, which is in my C2. Unpredictable and awesome. READ IT.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts in any way, shape, or form, except for in my dreams and that small corner in the back of my mind where hot guys like Riku walk around shirtless.

Moving on.

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The darkness pressed up against them, soft as their mingled breaths, until there was nothing but black and the two figures trapped within it. Even Demyx's inane signing seemed far away, driven off by Axel's question.

Larxene couldn't see the green-eyed Nobody, but she knew he was close; the light touch of his hand against her own confirmed that. She could almost taste the red of his hair, feel heat of his fire-green eyes burning a path through the shadow.

"I'm not afraid of anything," she answered, groping for his arms in the dark and holding his wrists.

"Then why is your heart beating so fast?"

Larxene suddenly dug her nails into the arms she held in a loose grip, an almost instinctive reaction to the reminder of her hated pulse. She was a Nobody; it wasn't real, simply the ghost-like remnants of her true self. Axel winced, the closeness of their faces making it possible for the yellow-haired Nobody to feel it.

"I'm not afraid of anything," she whispered again, yet her tone had lost its conviction.

"Seems like you're at least afraid of admitting you're afraid."

There was a long pause before she spoke again.

"Alright, so I'm afraid. Afraid of what my emotions mean. We're Nobodies Axel. We don't have hearts. Everyone else says we don't have feelings either, yet I can still sense them. But it's like a memory more than an actual emotion. Maybe I'm remembering what it was like when my original self had a heart. Is it just resonance?"

Axel didn't speak, yet one hand slipped away from her grip to rest comfortingly on her head, stroking her bangs back, not needing sight to see. When he didn't answer, she continued.

"I'm hollow, yet at the same time, I can perceive distant emotions. Like holding your ear up to a seashell and hearing the ocean. It's not the true waves you're hearing, just what's left. A small part of what exists, only we Nobodies can't see the whole picture. It's different for you, though. You have Roxas. The two of you are friends, and that's something that no other Nobody can boast about. You're more used to these emotions, because you've had something- someone -who's made those far-off memories come alive."

"And you're afraid of this?"

"Yes. Because up until ... until you, these distant emotions were more thought than feeling. But now they're stronger; I_ can _feel them now, and it scares me. Scares me that there's something new, something unnatural going on within me." her right hand tightened almost convulsively around the red-haired Nobody's arm. "Something I can't control."

In the darkness, she could sense his smile. "So you're a control freak, eh Sparky?"

The blue-eyed woman hesitated, ignoring the nickname as she turned her head to one side. "I suppose I am."

His roaming hand gently caressed the side of her face, the gesture of not only a lover but as a friend, seeking to both take and give comfort. Yet when he finally spoke, it was in a whisper that no person would say to another in light companionship.

"Then go ahead. Take control."

Larxene felt his submission, in his shifting posture and voice. Mirroring his previous movements, she let go of his arm and reached up to run her gloved fingers through his spiky hair. She imagined she was looking into his eyes, seeing the blue-green depths through the darkness, in a shadow way that held all the qualities of dreams. Just like her feelings, just like the Nobodies themselves. Just like the echoing pounding of her heart in her should-be hollow chest, the sound that mocked the life that never belonged to her and the non-existence she knew now.

Silently, she stood up, and Axel followed suit. Trusting her instincts in the dark, she kissed him lightly, deliberately. The fire-wielder gently took her wandering hand in his own, slipping off the black glove. Tentatively, she let her palm rest on the side of his face, noting that this was the first time she had ever felt human skin, non-existent or otherwise, under her own. She so rarely removed her gloves, and never had the opportunity for close contact. She let her fingers trace the unseen marks under his eyes, mapping the contours of his face. Axel halted her movements and stilled her hand.

"You can feel," he whispered. "Is it just resonance?"

Close enough now, Larxene shook her head. This was real, this was solid, this was powerful and intoxicating, and yes, it was terrifying. There was heat, fiery warmth flowing through his skin and into her own like rushing blood through a vein. Red blood, the color of anger and intensity, of passion and boldness, the color of fire, the color of Axel himself, of the strands of hair brushing against his tanned cheek along with her hand.

And there was electricity, quick and sparking, untamed yet always seeking control, something that could kill you if you weren't careful but for now seemed to simply surge in what little space was left between them, pulling them together. Yellow and bright, a color that was like the smart snap of confidence against white marble floors, feet swiftly carrying a lightening-strike-slender frame across a room, the color of the sleek hair that seemed to bask in the glow of white skin and the feel of a hand entangled in it. The color of flash and zeal, the color that warned you to stay away yet entranced you at the same time.

Once again, it was Larxene who instigated the kiss, reveling in regaining of her control and relishing losing it simultaneously

Unbeknownst to them, Demyx, after overhearing all that went on, had proceeded to slide down the hall in a victor dance, accompanied by the splash of water all around. But Axel and Larxene took no notice of this, more intent on their own waves, which seemed to have become a little louder, a little more clear, like breaking apart the seashell to find that the ocean had been there the whole time anyway.

----

Now I know why Axel and Larxene couldn't get together in the game. Because if they did, the world would just implode from too much awesomeness.


End file.
